


Wilderness Survival

by ziazippy5379



Category: Leverage
Genre: F/M, Mini case fic, Parker and Eliot always run into trouble, Wilderness Survival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:02:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22124524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ziazippy5379/pseuds/ziazippy5379
Summary: Parker asks Eliot to teach her some wilderness survival skills but things don't exactly go to plan when they run into a woman who's partner has been taken.
Relationships: Parker/Eliot Spencer
Comments: 10
Kudos: 58
Collections: 2019 Leverage Secret Santa Exchange





	Wilderness Survival

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VRRosen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VRRosen/gifts).



> Happy Holidays!
> 
> I tried to go with Eliot and Parker teaching each other things but it got a little off track. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also a big thanks to my beta the_original_n_chan for helping me with this.

“You have lots of survival skills,” Parker stated.

Eliot looked up from the book he had been trying to read. Parker was sitting on the back of the armchair set underneath her favorite vent access. The one that she’d moved there because it was his favorite chair to sit in. He wasn’t there now only because he hadn’t wanted her to drop down on him unexpectedly.

“Yes,” he replied, even though it wasn’t really a question.

“You should teach me them.” Again, it wasn’t a question but a statement.

“What kind?” he asked.

“Like wilderness stuff. Lost in the woods or alone in the desert type stuff,” she said like he should have been able to read her mind.

Eliot could deal with that. Of all the survival skills she could have wanted to learn wilderness survival was the one that he agreed would be good. There was no telling when they might get separated and she might have to use them.

“All right, I’ll plan something,” he told her.

“Yay!” she exclaimed, jumping down from the chair.

\---

Eliot made sure that there wasn’t going to be a job during the time he expected to spend on the first survival training trip -the first- because if she wanted more than one environment, they were going to need more than one trip. He also made sure the rest of the crew knew that the two of them would be unreachable for the duration of their trip and that they would make sure to contact them when they made it back safely. All that he still needed was to get Parker and take her to the place he’d chosen.

Parker had been told that they were leaving that day but hadn’t appeared from where she was lurking. Eliot decided it was late enough that it was time to search for her. He went to her room first just in case she was there. And she was.

She was standing in the middle of her room surrounded by the chaos that Eliot only saw when they had to travel for a con that they were making up as they went. When she heard him at the door, she looked up with a hint of panic.

“I didn’t know what to pack. Sorry,” Parker said, looking down.

Eliot realized his mistake as soon as she spoke. He went over and hugged her.

“It’s not your fault, darlin’. I didn’t tell you what you needed. I should be the one apologizing,” he told her.

“Okay,” she said. “So, what do I need?” She pulled away and gave him a look that said, “you better fix this”.

“Nothing,” he said. “I packed everything we’re going to need.” Parker gave him a disbelieving look. “I’m teaching you survival skills. We aren’t going to need much, and what we need is already packed. All you still have to do is put on your jacket and hiking boots.”

\---

The place Eliot had chosen was wild enough for a good learning experience but not so remote that if there was a problem, they wouldn’t easily be able to get help. He got out of the car and went to open the back. Since this was Parker’s first time going out, he’d put together backpacks of supplies for them. Mainly these included items like canteens and water purifiers, fire starters, freeze-dried food, and a knife.

When Parker got to him, he handed over her pack. “I thought this was survival training?” she questioned, narrowing her eyes.

“It is,” he replied. “But I’m not going to start this out with nothing at all. That would be madness.”

“So, there'll be a lot more trips with just the two of us?” she said with a grin.

“For survival training,” he said. “Which means no distractions that could lead to dangerous mistakes.”

Parker pouted at him.

“We can take other trips for those,” he said with the same grin she had had moments before.

\---

Eliot knew Parker could read maps, so after making sure she had the correct starting position he let her take the lead. They'd been hiking for almost two hours when he decided to call a halt.

“It’s time for a break,” Eliot said as they reached a clearing.

Both of them had the ability to keep going, but it was important not to overdo themselves, especially not on the first day of the trip.

“All right,” Parker said.

They sat on a conveniently placed rock, and Eliot instructed Parker to eat some of the snacks that were in their bags. She grumbled a little about not being hungry but ate anyway. Once she took the first bite, she appeared to realize that she was, in fact, hungry and began eating a bit faster.

As they were finishing their rest, Eliot heard something heading towards them n a rush, but quietly, like it knew how to move stealthily through the woods. Eliot stood and faced the direction it was coming from and gestured for Parker to get behind him.

As the noise approached, Eliot determined that it was a person moving through the woods as quickly and quietly as possible. It was a distinctive sound. He readied for a fight if whoever it was turned out to be a threat.

They drew closer, and Parker shifted, signaling that she heard them too. It was obviously a single individual, and so the two of them would be able to handle them if it came to a confrontation.

There was a quiet crash as the person came through the branches and into the clearing. Apparently not expecting the sudden open space, they stumbled and fell. Scrambling to their feet, they froze when they saw Eliot and Parker.

It was a woman whose gear identified her as an experienced hiker and camper. The pack she wore was remarkably similar to the ones that Eliot had chosen for Parker and himself. From the look of terror on her face, there was no way that this woman would be a threat to them, so Eliot dropped from his ready position to a more casual one.

“I’m sorry for barging in like this,” she said, snapping out of her frozen stance. “I’ll just be continuing on.”

“Are you sure?” Eliot asked gently. “You seem worried.”

“It’s nothing,” the woman said, edging around them. “But I really do need to go.”

“Why don’t you sit and tell us,” Parker said in the same tone Eliot had used. “You never know. We may be exactly the people you need.

\---

It took them a while to get the whole story out of the woman, who they learned was named Lydia Gregson. She was a wildlife specialist doing a project in this forest along with her partner, Mark Jones. They’d been doing their rounds to check their equipment when they’d come across a group of men at an illegal campsite. Men with guns. They had tried to sneak away, but the men had heard them. Mark had insisted that she hide, and when Lydia had he got captured by them. As soon as she’d thought it was safe enough, Lydia had snuck out of earshot of the camp and run. Which was how she had come to the clearing where she’d met Eliot and Parker.

Parker looked expectantly at Eliot. “We can help you get your partner back,” Eliot told Lydia.

“I really can’t ask you to do that,” she said. “It’s way too dangerous. We just need to go get the authorities.”

“This is what we do,” said Parker. “We help people. And he’s really good at retrieving things,” she added gesturing over her shoulder at Eliot.

“Really?” Lydia asked with a hopeful look.

“Yes,” Eliot said. “We’re going to get him back.”

“Can I say it?” Parker asked Eliot.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Yes, Parker. You can say it.”

Parker beamed.

“Let’s go steal a wildlife specialist.”

\---

With Lydia’s help, they got near to where the men were camped without getting close enough to get caught. Lydia hadn’t gotten a good enough look at the group for Eliot to be comfortable just charging in, so they needed a plan to get intel. Lydia had wanted to sneak in to observe the campsite, but after firm nos from Eliot and Parker she’d given in. But that still left the two of them to argue about who would go.

“I’ll go,” Eliot said. “I’m more used to the environment.”

“You’re also a much bigger target. I’m more likely to be mistaken for an animal,” Parker responded.

“Not with the amount of noise you’re likely to make,” Eliot growled.

“Only if I’m on the ground. They won’t hear a thing if I’m in the trees.”

Parker crossed her arms and set her jaw. Eliot knew when he had lost, and he knew how invisible Parker could be in trees. She had a habit of using them to sneak up on him from them in the park they liked to go to.

“Fine,” he said. “But please be careful.”

Parker nodded and began to move off. But she turned back and hugged him before disappering into the trees.

\---

Eliot and Lydia waited. And waited some more. After a while, Eliot began to pace around their hiding place.

Eventually, he heard a light thump, and the underbrush parted to reveal Parker. She looked exactly as she had when she’d left other than a leaf in her hair.

“Okay, I think I got what we need,” she said.

She relayed all the information that she’d collected, which included the camp set-up. She’d also counted five men plus Mark. They had a truck, too, which could be helpful later. She hadn’t seen much in the way of weapons other than three of the men having handguns.

With all of the information Parker had gathered, they made a rescue plan. Eliot would draw the men away and take them out while Parker got Mark.

They arrived at the camp just before nightfall. Lydia had stayed back out of earshot with their pack and the satellite phone with instructions to call the authorities if she didn’t hear from them in time.

Parker went back up into the trees to make her way closer to where Mark was being held. They didn’t have a way to communicate, so Eliot was just going to have to guess when she was in position.

Once he thought he had given her enough time, Eliot made his move. He came out of the brush. The men immediately rose and turned towards him.

“Do any of you have some directions?” Eliot called out. “I seem to have gotten a bit lost.”

As he spoke, the first two men came for him. With ease, Eliot took them out of play, then went for the others before any could draw their guns. The next two took longer and more effort to take down. When he managed to get them knocked out, he turned for the last one and saw him already on the ground.

Parker was kneeling next to Mark and picking the locks on the handcuffs he wore.

“How’d you knock him out?” Eliot asked her.

“Dropped onto his head from the tree,” she said with a smile in her voice.

\---

After getting the locks picked, Parker went to fetch Lydia and their packs, while. Eliot did a quick first aid check of Mark.

Lydia rushed to do her own check as soon as she got there, leaving Eliot and Parker to deal with the crooks. Eliot went to make sure they really were all down while Parker looked for something to secure them with.

She came back from the goons’ truck and triumphantly held up five more pairs of handcuffs.

“There’s also enough stuff in there to put them away for a long time,” she said.

\---

After delivering the crooks to a place where the authorities would find them and making sure Lydia and Mark got where they needed to safely, Eliot and Parker headed back to their apartment. It was morning by then, but since they hadn’t slept, they decided to go to bed.

Just as Eliot was settling in to sleep, Parker slid into his bed.

“What’s up, darlin’?” he asked her.

“We didn’t actually get too much teaching done on this trip,” she said.

“Then we’ll just have to try again.”

“After that I get to plan a teaching trip,” she said with a grin.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Comments and kudos are always welcome.


End file.
